Explosive.



of powerful explosives on the spot where UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS BARTHELEMY, on PARIS, FRANCE.

EXPLOSIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1906.

Application filed March 16, 1906. Serial No. 250,366.

To all whom it may concerrt:

' Be it known that I, LoUIs BARTHE'ZLEMY, a

citizen of the Republic of France, residing at- Paris, France, and whose post-officeaddress is Rue de Provence, No. 62, Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosives, of which the fol owing is a full and com lete specification, such as will enable those s illed in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The restrictions imposed by marine forwarding agencies or insurance com anies make it almost impossible to send exp osives to countries beyond the sea. On the other hand, certain explosives can not be easily preserved. Those having a nitroglycerin ase exude, and in this case are unquestionably dangerous. Those with a base of chlorate of potash and of vegetable oils harden in a short time under the oxidizing action of the chlorate and soon become useless. V

This invention relates to the manufacture they are to be used, and it offers the followingb advantages: First, it enables the goods to e conveyed under'economical conditions gby reason of theavoidance of all danger;

second, does away with the necessit of keeping quantities in stock, and, thir in case such stocks are rendered necessa insures the erfect preservation of the goo s.

T e new invention consists in the preparation of harmless mixtures or compositions heretofore unknown which can be conve ed from place to lace without danger, an at the moment w en they are about to be used they can be mixed with a combustive a ent convenient for forming an ex losive. do not 'say that the method 0 mixin such harmless compositions with a com ustive agent forms part of my invention, for I am wellaware that it is a known practice to form moment of using the compound for blag ,&c. My invention essentially resides in {a e reparation of a new and harmless GOIIlbllStir le mixture into. which on the spot of .emloyment an oxidant is to be incorporated.

The oxidizing a ent may be some form of nitrete, so' as to orm a safety; explosive, or a a nature of the explosive to be made. his,

chlorate 'or perchlorate.

, .The composition of the combustible mix ture must naturally vary according to. the

however, composed substantially of a ni- 'trated or non-nitrated hydrocarbon liquidwith which the desired ro ortion of, solid nitrated or non-nitrated iiy rocarbons is incorporated. The most suitable nitrated h drocarbon liquids for the preparation of the mixture are orthonitrotoluol and trinitrotol uol. This preparation is made on the base of the principle that paraffin dissolves easily in orthonitrotoluol when liquefied at to centigrade and that it is then easy to incorporate trinitrotoluol.

- In case the mixture is to be employed in the preparation of chlorated explosives paraflin is preferable to vegetable oils and other compounds containing a large quantity of carbon, as it remains unaifected in presence of oxidizing a ents, which is the reason why chlorated exp osives manufactured in this waycan be reserved for any length of time. To the combustible paste a certain quantity of metal filings (aluminium, iron, or the like) may be added if it be desired to increase the density of the explosive or the temperature at which detonation takes place. In this manner very stable and entirely harmless pasty mixtures may be made which are uite unaffected by external agents (heat,

amp, or the like) and which can be coniveyed from place to place with the greatest convenience and safet As already stated, the ingredients forming the new roduct in its preferred composition are para ,orthom'trotoluol, and trinitrotol- 110], with or without an addition of filings of iron or-other metals. The roportions vary according to the strength esired to be obtained by the explosives. Byway of an example t e following compos1tion may be cited:

Moderately Strong active. explosive.

as as, i so is 'l'rlnltrotoluol 15 18 breaking. The re rtions of the araflin and the metal fil ing remain prefer bly unchanged.

For manufacturing the ex losive on the spot where it is to be used a] that is necessary is to liquefy the combustible mixture by heatin it to about 65 Centigrade and mix it with t 1e oxidizing a ent bought on the spot or brought separate y. It is suitable for a good result to mix about seventy parts of chlorate of otash with thirty parts of the heated and iqueficd nitro compound.

The work is carried out in the simplest manner. If it be desired to manufacture the explosive on a large scale, a pugmill with a grinder, of wood, and double bottom heated by steam is em loyed. If it be desired to manufacture on y sufficient for daily use, a simple iron pot may be used, which is placed over a water-bath, the two constituents of the explosive being 'mixed with a wooden stirrer. In this way as much as five,kilograms of explosive can be easily made at one time, the operation only lasting a few minutes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. An explosive consisting of paraffin, orthonitrotoluol and trinitrotoluol.

2. An explosive consisting of parafiin, orthonitrotoluol and trinitrotoluol in substan tially the roportions specified.

3. The ierein-deseribed process of propering a compound asthe harmless art of a high explosive, which consists in 'ssolving paraflin in orthonitrotoluol, and then incor porating therewith trinitrotoluol.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS BARTHELEMY.

Witnesses:

ERIK SoPnE HIeKoK, Jr., ROBERT A. BAKER. 

